Photographic shutter with electronic time setting device

ABSTRACT

A photographic shutter includes a reciprocating drive element that places the shutter segments in the open and closed position and cooperates with an electronically controlled time setting device having an electromagnetic open-time-block operable to hold the drive element in the open position during the exposure time. The time setting device has a contact switch operable by a shutter release member to switch on the time setting device. Advantageously a nose is provided on the shutter release member which is engagable with a pin on the drive element during the opening movement of the segment drive element. The engagement of the nose with the pin prevents the return of the shutter release member for the period of time during which the drive element is blocked by the electromagnetic open-time-block.

United States Patent Dietz [451 pct. 31, 1972 PHOTOGRAPHIC SHUTTER WITH ELECTRONIC TIME SETTING DEVICE Inventor: Ernst Hermann Dietz, Calmbach/Black Forest, Germany Prontor-Werke Alfred Gauthier GmbH, Calmbach/Schwarzwald, Germany Filed: Feb. 24, 1970 Appl. No.: 13,449

Assignee:

US. Cl. ..95/53 E Int. Cl. ..G03b 9/00 Field of Search ..95/53, 53 E, 53 BA, 53 EB,

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 4/1970 Richter ..95/53 X 11/1968 Kiper ..95/63 X 2/1957 Hill ..95/63 X 7/1963 Kiper ..95/63 l/ 1968 Singer ..95/53 Primary Examiner-Samuel S. Matthews Assistant Examiner-Monroe H. Hayes AttorneyMarch, Le Fever and Wyatt ABSTRACT 4 A photographic shutter includes a reciprocating drive element that places the shutter segments in the open and closed position and cooperates with an electronically controlled time setting device having an elec- "tromagnetic open-time-block operable to hold the 2 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures P'ATENTED m1 m1:

. INVENTOR Ernst Hermann Diefz BY March,Le Fever8 Wyatt A TTORNEYS PHOTOGRAPHIC SHUTTER w 'rIrELEc'raoNIc TIME sErrINc DEVICE FIELDOF BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention relates to a photographic shutter with a reciprocating drive element which moves theshutter blades or segments into the open position and the shut positions. The'shutter also has an electronically controlled time-setting device that'includes an open-time block. The electronicallycontrolled time-setting device can be activated by a contact switch which is operable by means of the shutter release.

Prior photographic shutters of the type mentioned above have beenprovided with ashutter release lever having another lever adapted to follow the shutter release lever upon actuation thereof. The follow lever,

simultaneously with the shutter release, closes a contact switch which connects "the electronic time-setting device with the battery voltage. .To assure the closing of this switch for the duration of the exposure time, it was necessary to provide an additional return-movement block to hold the shutter release lever in the release position. This return-release block can be moved out of the blocking position by the shutter drive: This arrangement has the disadvantage of requiring a .number of equipped return-movement block for the shutter release which block upon ,releaseacts upon a contact switch. This is donein such a way that the shutter release, after operation of the contact switch, can'only returnto the original position after the lock ring has been released by the holding magnets assigned 'to it to change the shutter segments into the closed position. The use of such a retum-r novement block is limited'to electronic shutters'with shutter segments supported by two segment rings thatrun off oneafter the other. This type of a returnsmovement block which holds the contact switch in'locked position during the exposure process is not suited for a shutter with a segment drive that reciprocates or moves back and forth.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of this "invention to provide a returnmovement block or stop for the shutter release, which,

without significant additional structure,.works with the shutter release and is controlled directly by a control part which is in its normal position when the-shutter is open.

It has now beenfoundthat the foregoing and related objects can: be readily. attained. in; aphotographic shutter having a lugfitted to the shutter release,'and apin or similar-structure fitted to the drive element of the segments. Inathe course of the opening movement 'of the segrnentcdriveelement, the pin runs onto the lug and impedes the return of the shutterv release into its original position for the period of timeduring which the drive element is locked by the electromagnetic open-v time block/Thus a return-movement block is advantageously-created which includes the shutter release itself, with highly desirable structural simplicity. The

design functions with maximum reliability, and the curtypical embodiment thereof, as illustrated in the accompanying drawing. 7

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWING In the drawing:

FIG. 1 illustratesa shutter blade drive mechanism of a photographic shutter with electronic time control that includes an electromagnetic open-time block, the shutter drive being shown in the cockedposition;

FIG. 2 is similar to FIG. 1 and illustrates the shutter design after the release has been actuated with the shutter drive release to run off and the contact switch connecting the electronic time-setting device to the battery voltage closed; and

FIG. 3 is similar to FIG. 1 and illustrates the shutter design in a moving phase wherein the exposure opening has been freed by the shutter blades, while a pin fitted to the shutter drive element prevents the shutter release from moving back and thereby holds the contact switch in closed position until the shutter drive element has completed the return phase and has freed the shutter release for return to its original position.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT Referringnow indetail to the drawing, FIGS. 1-3 il+ lustrate a shutter blade drive mechanism of a photographic shutter with electronic time control switching wherein a spring-loaded drive disc 1 as well as a drive lever 2 flexibly attached to it, serve as the drive mechanism. The drive lever 2 is engaged in a formlocking manner with a segment drive element'3 which may, for instance, be in the form of a ring. The ring drive element 3 operates the shutter blades orsegments 4, of which only one is shown for clarity of illustration. In the clocked position illustrated in FIG. 1', the segment drive mechanism is completely locked by'means of a spring-loaded locking lever 5'. This lever 5 in turn can be moved out of the locked position by-a springloaded release lever 6. When the release mechanism 5, 6 is actuated, the segment drive element 3 is driven by the crank gear 1, 2 in the direction of the arrow .indicated in FIG. 2. As this occurs atang 30 provided on the'circumference of 'the drive element 3 engages one side of an anchor lever 7 located in its path before reverse of the movement. This anchor lever- 7 is designed as a two-arm lever rotatable abouta fixed point, one of the arms 7a carries an anchor 8, and the ry pin 12 and is located relative to the reciprocating segment ring 3 in such a way that the tang 30 touches the face of the support lever 9 before the return phase of the segment ring 3 is reached. The bearing pin 12' carries a wound spring 13 whichihas one end engaged 1 with a stationary support and its other end'connected with a pin 14 which rotatably connects the arm 7b with a the support lever 9. The spring 13 applies a biasing 7 part of a circuit of a conventional time-setting device 17 that is only schematically indicated in the drawing for clarity. A contact switch S placed in the range of movement of the release lever 6, is provided for the purpose of connecting the time-setting device 17, designed as a sweep circuit including resistance capacitance members, and the holding magnet 11 to the voltage of the battery 18 prior to release of the shutter drive. The circuit of the electronic time-setting device 17 has another switch (not shown) which is operated by the segment ring 3 and serves in a wellknown manner to initiate the functioning of the timesetting device and to restore the short circuit in the condenser of the time control circuit upon return to the original position.

The lever 6, in addition to lever arm 6a which operates with the blocking lever 5, is also provided with a nose 6b for the purpose of holding the releaselever 6, and thereby the contact switch S operable by this lever, securely in the contact position for the period of the exposure, that is in open position of the segments 4.

A pin 30 is fitted to the segment ring 3 and cooperates with the nose 6b, asillustrated in FIG. 3, so that when the pin 3c moves itself in front of the nose 6b during the opening movement of the segment ring 3, the pin 3c impedes the release lever 6, and simultaneously prevents the closed switch S from going back to its original open position, until the segment ring is once again released by the open-time-blocking mechanism 7 to 12 and returns to the original position. Instead of the pin 3c a bent tang or similar piece may be mounted on segment ring 3.

In detail the functioning of the above described shutter design is as follows:

As explained above, when the release mechanism 5,

' 6 is operated, initially the contact switch S, is closed,

which results in the establishment of a magneticv field opposes that holds anchor 8 against the magnet 11. This magnetic field opposes the spring 13 biasing the pivot pin 14 and holds the anchor lever in the position shown in FIG. 1. When the release lever 6 is actuated, the drivemechanism l, 2 is simultaneously feed and moves'the segment ring 3 in the opening direction as indicated by the arrow in FIG. 2. The tang 3a, mounted on to the segment ring 3 then runs onto the face of the support lever 9 prior to reaching the return position of blocking lever 7, 9 allowing it to bend, is it possible for segment ring 3 to continue its movement, and to return to original position while simultaneously closing the segments 4. When this is accomplished, the pin 3c will have moved away from the nose 6b of the release lever 6, so that the release lever 6 can move back to its original position, while at the same time opening the contact switch S It will be understood that the foregoing description with the details of exemplary structure is not to be construed in any way to limit the invention, but that modifications may be made thereto without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the following claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a photographic shutter having an oscillatable drive element moving shutter segments between the open and closed positions, an electronically controlled time setting device including an electromagnetic opentime-blo'ck, the drive element being cooperable with the time setting device and the open-time-block being operable to hold the drive element in the open position during the exposure time, and a shutter release member cooperable with the drive element and operable to activate the time-setting device upon operation of the release member: the improvement comprising, in combination, said release member being pivoted and having a first arm controlling release of said drive element, a

second arm operable to activate said time setting device, and a nose; said nose extending from the pivot of said release member; and a pin on said drive element engageable with said nose; said nose, responsive to pivoting of said release member to the release position to activate said time setting device, being moved inwardly of the circular path of movement'of said pin, and said pin being rotated by the released drive element into engagement with the outer surface of said nose to retain said release member in the release position during the time said drive element is blocked by said electromagnetic open-time-block.

2. In a photographic shutter, the improvement claimed in claim 1, including a switch controlling activation of said time setting device; said second arm actuating said switch upon pivoting of said releas member to the release position. 

1. In a photographic shutter having an oscillatable drive element moving shutter segments between the open and closed positions, an electronically controlled time setting device including an electromagnetic open-time-block, the drive element being cooperable with the time setting device and the open-timeblock being operable to hold the drive element in the open position during the exposure time, and a shutter release member cooperable with the drive element and operable to activate the time-setting device upon operation of the release member: the improvement comprising, in combination, said release member being pivoted and having a first arm controlling release of said drive element, a second arm operable to activate said time setting device, and a nose; said nose extending from the pivot of said release member; and a pin on said drive element engageable with said nose; said nose, responsive to pivoting of said release member to the release position to activate said time setting device, being moved inwardly of the circular path of movement of said pin, and said pin being rotated by the released drive element into engagement with the outer surface of said nose to retain said release member in the release position during the time said drive element is blocked by said electromagnetic opentime-block.
 2. In a photographic shutter, the improvement claimed in claim 1, including a switch controlling activation of said time setting device; said second arm actuating said switch upon pivoting of said release member to the release position. 